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Diversity and End-of-Life Care
St. Mary’s Good Samaritan to host Hospice Foundation of America’s
16th ANNUAL Living With Grief® Teleconference
Each year the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) presents a nationally recognized distance learning program, live via satellite and webcast, to more than 125,000 people in 2,000 communities. This year’s teleconference is being made available at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan’s Mt. Vernon Campus on Wednesday, April 29, from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm, in the meeting room by the cafeteria on the 2nd floor.
This year HFA’s 16th Annual National Bereavement Teleconference focuses on “Diversity and End-of-Life Care.” The teleconference will examine how diversity influences end-of-life decision making and the impact that culture has at the time of death and during bereavement. One of the goals of the teleconference is to increase sensitivity by helping professionals acknowledge how their own cultural values and assumptions influence the delivery of care. The program will also discuss the challenges that may occur when culture considerations may cause ethical concerns or moral distress. “We will all face end of life issues,” says Jill Kaetzel, chaplain at the Mt. Vernon Campus. “The culture we identify with can greatly impact our thoughts on the subject.”
Kaetzel says that the teleconference is open to healthcare workers of all varieties, chaplains, social workers, home health aides, funeral directors, nursing home staff, physicians, counselors, even the general public. It is absolutely free to attend, but for space considerations, registration is requested. Those interested can contact Jill at 241-2271 any time up until April 28.
For more than a decade, this annual educational program has been instrumental in educating health care professionals and families on issues affecting end-of-life care. The program provides an opportunity for a wide variety of professionals – including doctors, nurses, psychologists, educators, social workers and bereavement counselors – to share and exchange ideas and obtain continuing education credits.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Frank Sesno, Professor of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University and Special Correspondent with CNN. Mr. Sesno will lead the panel of noted authorities that includes: Samira K. Beckwith, President and CEO of Hope HealthCare Services; Sandy Chen Stokes, Executive Director, Chinese American Coalition for Compassionate Care; Kenneth J. Doka, Professor of Gerontology, Graduate School of the College of New Rochelle; Wanda H. Jenkins, Manager of Bereavement Services at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care; Richard Payne, Director, Institute on Care at the End of Life, Duke University; Paul Rosenblatt, Professor, College of Education & Human Development, University of Minnesota; and Carlos Sandoval-Cros, Rev., St. Simon's Episcopal Church, and psychiatrist, private practice.
This distinguished panel of ethicists, educators and hospice experts will examine how diversity influences end-of-life decision making and the impact that culture may have at the time of death and during bereavement.
Each year this award-winning, televised broadcast is seen in more than 2,000 communities across North America, reaching an estimated live audience of 150,000 people. The teleconference is produced by Hospice Foundation of America, a not-for-profit organization, which acts as an advocate for the hospice concept of care through ongoing programs of professional education, public information and research on issues relating to illness, loss, grief and bereavement.
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